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The Memorial of S. A. Ashe 



To the General Assemlly: 
The Memorial of your petitioner respectfully represents: 

1. That some years ago your petitioner was led by public and 
private considerations to undertake the preparation of a his- 
tory of the State; and that the first volume of said history, 
covering the period from the explorations in 1584 to the Treaty 
of Peace in 1783, has been published. 

2. That because of its educational value, the Superintendent 
of Public Instruction and other educators deemed it proper 
and desirable to have it distributed and made accessible to 
readers in every part of the State. 

That it was considered advisable to ask the General Assem- 
bly to authorize the County Boards of Education to purchase 
a copy for the use of each Rural School Library in their 
counties, under an arrangement as to price, finish and binding 
which the Superintendent of Education should approve; and 
a bill embodying these provisions was introduced at the last 
session of the Assembly, was favorably reported, and passed the 
Senate. 

3. That the bill was favorably reported by the Committee on 
Education of the House; but Speaker Graham desiring to be 
heard, it was reref erred; and he urged before the Committee 
that the book was objectionable because it did not sustain the 
view held by many persons that the true date of the Mecklen- 
burg Declaration was May 20. After hearing Speaker Gra- 
ham at length, the full Committee, with only one dissenting 
voice, again reported the bill favorably. The bill passed the 
House, but at the request of the Speaker it was reconsidered. 
The session was near its close, and many important matters 
pressed, so the House allowed only a short time for debate. 
Speaker Graham and Representative Dowd, of Mecklenburg, 
made earnest appeals for the rejection of the bill, and over the 
protests of Mr. Connor and other members of the Committee, 
the House yielded to their appeals; some saying that the mat- 
ter could be taken up at a subsequent session. 

4. The only objection made to the bill was that the history 
was unsound on the subject of the Mecklenburg Declaration. 
The Committee had after full investigation passed on that mat- 
ter, but the other members of the House had no time to ex- 






amine it. Indeed, Speaker Graham had never thoroughly ex- 
amined the book; nor had many other members. Nor would 
the General Assembly probably attempt to settle by legislative 
action a disputed historical matter which every man of intelli- 
gence interested in such matters will have his own opinion 
about. 

5. If an error has been made in regard to the details of any 
important transaction, it is the province of history to present it 
correctly. North Carolinians, a brave race, have the courage 
to correct errors and to stand for the truth. Indeed it is not 
to be supposed that any one wishes a history that is incorrect. 

Some fifty years after independence was declared by Meck- 
lenburg County, in the absence of any contemporaneous docu- 
ment, Col. Alexander in writing an account of the proceedings 
made an innocent error in the date. Documents and news- 
papers of June, 1775, have subsequently come to light, and the 
error has been made plain. 

6. Ashe's History gives many pages of quotations from the 
evidence, old as well as new, and states all the circumstances 
bearing on the subject, so that every reader can form his own 
conclusion. If the evidence shows the truth to be that the date 
was May 31, it is not the right of the historian to suppress it. 
Indeed whether the date was the 20th or the 31st can not be 
important. Why, then, make so much objection to the true 
date ? Nor is the language important, so that there was a Dec- 
laration of Independence. 

The book shows that on May 31 the people of Mecklenburg 
declared independence. 

7. The evidence is all documentary. It consists of news- 
papers and letters of 1775, and of statements made by par- 
ticipants in 1800, 1819, and 1830. No student who studies this 
evidence today can well reach any other conclusion than that 
reached by your petitioner. Your petitioner has not been in- 
fluenced by the opinion of others, yet he is glad to understand 
that Governor William A. Graham, whose father and uncle 
were among those who made statements in 1819 and 1830, just 
before his death also came to the conclusion that the true date 
was May 31. 

8. Your petitioner respectfully represents that the action of 
the Assembly in rejecting the book as detailed, after having 
passed the bill, is tantamount to putting the seal of condemna- 
tion upon it, and this would be a great injury to your peti- 
tioner; wherefore your petitioner prays that the General As- 
sembly in its wisdom may now take appropriate action in the 
premises. S. A. Ashb. 

Raleigh, N. C, November, 1910, 



(SoNfE Extracts from Ashe's History) 

Mecklenburg Declares Independence 



Indeed, so far from the people of North Carolina being indifi'erent or 
supine, a step forward was now taken in Mecklenburg County that was 
far in advance of the desires of either Hooper, Hewes, or Caswell, or 
their associates in Congress. It was a declaration of independence. 
In March and April there had been many meetings of, the Committee of 
Safety in Mecklenburg. Tlie occupation of Boston by a hostile British 
army was a thorn in the flesh. The inhabitants of that town were suflfer- 
ing from their adherence to the rights cf America, and again the cry 
rang throughout Mecklenburg that the cause of Boston was the cause of 
all. In May came the exciting news that Parliament in its address to 
the King had declared the colonies in rebellion, and therefore out of 
the protection of the law. The leaders felt that a storm was about to 
burst on the heads of the patriotic people. It was determined to pre- 
pare for it. Public meetings were held in various parts of the county, 
and the prevailing sentiment was found to be one of resolution. After 
conference, Colonel Tliomas Polk, the commanding officer of the county, 
called for an election of two representatives from each of the nine militia 
districts of the county to take into consideration the state of the country 
and to adopt such measures as seemed necessary to safeguard their 
liberties. The election was held and amid great excitement the dele- 
gates convened at Charlotte, and with them came their friends and 
neiglibors, so that nearly one-half of all the arms-bearing men of the covm- 
ty assembled in that little hamlet. As great as was the occasion, the 
excitement was largely increased by the arrival of the news of the battle 
of Lexington, which had swept through the country like a whirlwind, 
stirring the people to the profoundest depths. To the meeting came all 
the leading inhabitants, the Polks, Alexanders, Brevards, Davidsons, and 
all who were leaders in thought and action. They met on the 30th day 
of May, in the court-house, and Abraham Alexander was called to the 
chair. A number of papers were read. Stress was laid on the action of 
Parliament declaring the colonies in rebellion. As they were held to be 
rebels, the leaders urged that they should renounce their allegiance and 
declare themselves independent. An objection was made: If we resolve 
on independence, how shall we be absolved from the oath of allegiance 
we took after the Regulation battle? With hot indignation the answer 
came — That allegiance and protection were reciprocal ; Avhen protection 
was withdrawn, allegiance ceased. Independence was resolved on, and 
a committee composed of Dr. Ephraim Brevard and others was appointed 
to prepare the resolutions. The discussion continued far into the night, 
and then the delegates adjourned to reassemble at noon. At twelve 
o'clock the following day, the delegates again met and the resolutions 
prepared by Dr. Brevard were read and adopted. 

It was resolved that all commissions granted by the Crown were null 
and void; that no other authority than that of the Continental Congress 
and the provincial congresses existed in any of the colonies ; that mili- 
tary oificers should be elected who should hold their oflices independent 
of Great Britain, and an independent local government was provided for. 

These bold resolutions having been adopted by the delegates, it was 
determined that the action taken should be proclaimed at the court- 
house door, and be formally announced to the people, who, animated by 



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014 417 786 1 



ardor, patriotism and excitement, had come together in great numbers 
to participate in the proceedings of tlie day. Colonel Polk, the leader in 
the measure, standing on the high steps of the court-house, read the 
resolutions to the eager crowd; and the people with much enthusiasm 
approved and endorsed this first assertion of independence. As a mani- 
festation of their approval cheers were given, hats were thrown into the 
air, and with enthusiastic applause the people ratified the great action 
taken by the delegates. Mecklenburg thus first gave expression to that 
spirit of independence which later developed elsewhere, finally leading 
to a total abandonment of all desire for reconciliation with the mother 
country. 

By these resolves all laws and commissions emanating from the royal 
government were annulled, and the former civil constitutions of the colo- 
nies were declared wholly suspended ; and also it was declared that no 
other power existed in any of the provinces but the provincial congresses 
under the direction of the Continental Congress. 

It being decreed that all laws, commissions, and authority were abro- 
gated, there was established a new government to replace the old one. 
The plan provided that the inhabitants of the county should form them- 
selves into nine military companies, and choose a colonel and other 
military officers, who should hold their power by virtue of the people's 
choice, and independent of the Crown and of the former constitution of 
the province; that each of these companies should appoint two free- 
holders to exercise judicial functions under the name of "selectmen"; 
that these eighteen "selectmen" should hold a court for the county, and 
should meet at Charlotte quarterly for that purpose. 

It was further decreed that any person thereafter receiving any com- 
mission from the Crown, or attempting to exercise any commission 
theretofore received, should be deemed an enemy to the country and 
should be apprehended. * ♦ • 

These resolutions of the people of Mecklenburg completely overthrow- 
ing the colonial government and establishing a free and independent 
government founded on the will of the people, were published on June 1(5, 
1775, at New Bern, in the North Carolina Gazette, and on June l.Sth in 
the newspaper at Charleston, and in the Cape Fear Mercury, published 
at Wilmington, probably in its issue of June 23d. Their publication 
produced a profound impression. The action at Mecklenburg, indeed, 
stirred the hearts of the patriot leaders and awoke enthusiasm in the 
breasts of their associates throughout the colony, while they aroused the 
ire of Governor Martin and caused dismay among the adherents of the 
Crown. ♦ » ♦ 

* • * That it was generally understood that these resolves con- 
stituted a declaration of independence, while establishing a new govern- 
ment, is evident from the records of the Moravian Church at Bethania 
of events occurring during the year 1775. "I can not but remark at 
the end of the 1775th year," wrote the annalist, "during the summer 
of this year, that in the month of May or June the county of Mecklen- 
burg, in North Carolina, declared itself free and independent of Eng- 
land, and made such arrangements for the administration of justice, 
which proceeding the Continental Congress at this time considered pre- 
mature; afterward, however, the Continental Congress later extended 
eame over the whole country." 



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